It was the season opener for the Ryan Cowboys and Cowgirls Tuesday night and both games came down to the wire.
The Cowgirls fell to Grandfield, 34-32, while the boys picked up a 37-31 victory over the Bearcats.
Ryan begins play today in the St. Jo, Texas Tournament. The Cowgirls will play Alvord, Texas in the first round, while the Cowboys are set to play Paradise, Texas junior varsity.
Both teams will return to action on Friday.
The Cowgirls trailed 11-10 after the first quarter, but managed to tie the game at the half, 17-17, despite hitting only three of 11 from the free throw line.
The Lady Bearcats managed to outscore the Cowgirls, 8-6, in the third quarter setting up a dramatic ending to the contest.
That two-point edge ended up being the difference in the game as the two teams battled on even terms in the fourth quarter.
The Cowgirls had a game-winning three-pointer rim out at the buzzer.
Samantha Good led the Cowgirls in scoring with 14 points. Lily York was the only other Cowgirl in double figures as she finished with 10 points.
Free throw shooting, which hampered the Cowgirls most of the 2018 season, was the Achilles heel for Coach Steve Spangler’s squad in the season opener. Ryan connected on only seven of 17 from the charity stripe in the game.
In the boys’ contest, the Bearcats looked like they would run the Cowboys out of the gym.
The Bearcats took a 7-2 lead after the first quarter and increased the lead to 20-11 at intermission.
The two teams played on even terms in the third quarter and the Cowboys entered the fourth quarter trailing, 29-19.
However, in the final frame, the Cowboys caught fire and outscored the Bearcats, 18-2, to capture the victory.
The game did not exactly feature great shooting. The Cowboys managed to shoot 36% from the field but were only one of nine from the three-point line.
The Bearcats were much worse. Grandfield connected on only nine of 35 two-point field goal attempts and only connected on two of 25 three-pointers for a dismal 18% from the field.
The Cowboys might have stayed closer in the first half, but they made only three of 11 free throws and finished the game hitting only 25% from the line.
Defensively, the Cowboys had 10 steals and out-rebounded the Bearcats, 42-34.
Grayson Tomberlin led the Cowboys in scoring with 15 points and was the only Cowboy in double figures.
Cowboy coach Austin Masoner garnered his first coaching win with the victory over Grandfield.
After competing in the tournament at St. Jo, the Cowboys and Cowgirls will be off until one week from today when they begin play in the Black and Gold Classic at Wilson.
GRANDFIELD 34, RYAN 32 (Girls)
Grandfield 11 6 8 9–34
Ryan 10 7 6 9–32
RYAN – Samantha Good 6-2-14, Lily York 4-1-10, Alicen Williams 1-4-6, Lilybet Harmon 1-0-2. TOTALS: 12-7-32. Three-pointers: York.
RYAN 37, GRANDFIELD 31 (Boys)
Grandfield 7 13 9 2–31
Ryan 2 9 8 18–37
RYAN – Grayson Tomberlin 6-2-15, Skyler Parkhill 3-1-7, Andrew Villerreal 2-1-5, Brock Smith 2-0-4, Travis Fristoe 2-0-4, Landon Alexander 1-0-2. TOTALS: 16-4-37. Three-pointers: Tomberlin.
